DAY 2: Amy Coney Barrett SCOTUS Confirmation Hearings, Take-Aways, Reactions, and FULL Videos of Hearing

By admin On Oct 13, 2020

Amy Coney Barrett explains what it means to be an originalist, calls Scalia a mentor:

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., kicked off the question-and-answer portion of Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation hearing by zeroing in on her judicial philosophy, as well as comparisons to the late conservative icon Justice Antonin Scalia.

Barrett has described herself as a constitutional originalist, and Graham began his questioning by having the nominee explain what that means in plain English.

“So in English, that means that I interpret the Constitution as a law, that I interpret its text as text, and I understand it to have the meaning that it had at the time people ratified it,” Barrett said. “So that meaning doesn’t change over time and it’s not up to me to update it or infuse my own policy views into it.”

Graham then referenced Scalia, for whom Barrett clerked early in her career, asking how she would react to being called a female version of Scalia.

“I would say that Justice Scalia was obviously a mentor, and as I said when I accepted the president’s nomination, that his philosophy is mine too,” Barrett said. “You know he was a very eloquent defender of originalism, and that was also true of textualism, which is the way that I approach statutes and their interpretation.” —>READ MORE HERE

Amy Coney Barrett won’t commit to recusal on election, Obamacare dispute

Supreme Court nominee Judge Amy Coney Barrett refused Tuesday to commit to recusing herself from cases coming before the high court — including potential disputes over the Nov. 3 elections.

Sen. Patrick Leahy, Vermont Democrat, said President Trump has made it known he wants the justices to strike down Obamacare, which is before the court in a case Nov. 10, and also that the president is counting on the court to rule in his favor if there are legal challenges to the Nov. 3 election results.

“He says he needs a ninth justice,” Mr. Leahy said.

But Judge Barrett told the senator she did not talk to the president or his staff about how she would rule on any case, including the Obamacare arguments scheduled for Nov. 10.

“I have had no conversation with the president or any of his staff on how I might rule on that case. It would be a gross violation of judicial independence,” she said. —>READ MORE HERE

Follow links below to related stories,reactions, and videos:

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